Sunrise's Welcome Mat Attracts Trio Of Hotels

SUNRISE — Tourists and corporate travelers will soon find themselves curling up in the lap of luxury in west Broward.

Sunrise's quest to become an entertainment and corporate destination point is yielding three quality hotels -- a Marriott, an Embassy Suites and, possibly, a Crowne Plaza.

Those plans have consumers right where city leaders want them: staying and spending in Sunrise.

When City Manager Pat Salerno pushed for an ordinance requiring the equivalent of full-service hotels in the city, commissioners agreed.

Developers can no longer build a hotel with less than 250 rooms, meeting and conference facilities, a restaurant, lounge and pool.

The three new hotels will help Sunrise house out-of-town shoppers at Sawgrass Mills outlet malls, hockey and concertgoers at National Car Rental Center.

They'll also be closer to the action than the upscale Hilton at 3003 N. University Drive.

City and corporate dignitaries broke ground on a 13-story Marriott at Sawgrass last month.

The hotel, located on 8.5 acres on Panther Parkway across from the National Car Rental Center, will eventually offer 400 rooms.

Construction will include 250 rooms by January 2002. Another 150 rooms will be added in the project's second phase.

Another 13-story hotel, Embassy Suites, is planned for the corner of West Sunrise Boulevard and the Sawgrass Expressway.

The multi-story BellSouth Office Complex on the south side of Sunrise Boulevard, across from Sawgrass Mills outlet mall, also includes a four-star hotel on the same site. The developer has said the hotel will probably be a Crowne Plaza.

Christy McKerney can be reached at cmckerney@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2008.